Podcasts by RTÉ Short Story Competition
Irish short fiction for radio, selected from the long-running annual contest in honour of Francis MacManus run by RTÉ, Irish public radio. A shortlist is broadcast every year, voiced by some of Ireland's most talented actors of the stage and screen. For more visit rte.ie/culture and rte.ie/writing.
Further podcasts by RTÉ
Podcast on the topic Bücher
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The Warbler, by Caitríona McArdle from 2023-10-27T13:48
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Elaine O'Dwyer, in the words of the judges "a well-crafted, affecting tale...a lovely, gentle portrait of teenagerdom as the summer holidays start"
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Mr Hoo, by John O'Donnell from 2023-10-26T11:13
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Emmet Farrell, in the words of the judges “a beautiful, exhilarating, and deeply touching story about an easily-led, bird-loving young fellow’s trip to the dark side”
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On Craigavon Bridge, by Peter McCauley from 2023-10-25T10:44
From the 2023 shortlist, read by David Pearse, in the words of the judges a “darkly funny, relentless and surprising tale around a father and son’s increasingly manic search for a lost greyhound”
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Artificial Intelligence for Psychotherapists, by Ilona Adams from 2023-10-24T11:29
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Camille Lucy Ross, in the words of the judges “a really funny, really timely, comic symphony around cyber love”
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You, by Nadine O'Regan from 2023-10-23T11:36
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Kathy Rose O'Brien, in the words of the judges “a smart, considered, lively vision of manipulation, revenge and gloriously twisted love”
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It All Began With The Turlough, by Caoimhín Gaffney from 2023-10-22T13:33
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Aaron Monaghan, in the words of the judges an “extraordinary feat of imagination,” and “an original and funny fantasy with a lake as the protagonist”
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Breathe, by Robin Livingstone from 2023-10-20T12:02
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Marty Rea, in the words of the judges “a breath-taking, captivating and authentic immersion into a teenage boy’s involvement in a street protest”
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Off Season, by Jamie Samson from 2023-10-19T11:23
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Rory Nolan, in the words of the judges “funny and sad and thoroughly engrossing; a triumph of atmosphere”
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Tessa and Viviane, by Julie Cruickshank from 2023-10-18T10:53
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Janet Moran, in the words of the judges “a captivating, poignant tale of a young woman dealing with the loss of her eccentric mother”
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The Turkish Rug, by Natalie Ryan from 2023-10-17T10:31
From the 2023 shortlist, read by Andrew Bennett, in the words of the judges "a beguiling and subtly-observed portrait of hope, resignation and resilience"
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Cherries, by Sara Keating from 2022-10-21T12:32
A story encompassing the intimacy and vulnerability of motherhood, and a mother's love for her son
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Strawberry Season, by Doreen Finn from 2022-10-20T10:30
A teenage girl, driving to the south of France with squabbling parents and the family dog
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Big Why, Little Why by Brendan Killeen from 2022-10-19T11:09
A father and son holidaying in Madrid overhear a couple in a museum discussing the merits of a particular masterpiece
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The Big House of Nora Toad, by Rachel Hynes from 2022-10-18T10:57
A deserted house, an unlikely friendship and a small-town Ireland we can all recognise
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The Coast of Africa, by Julie Cruickshank from 2022-10-17T10:08
Inspired by an ancient landscape, this is a story of coming to terms with grief and a changing relationship between father and son
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Cnámharlach Uaigneach, by Nicola Crean from 2022-10-16T08:54
A playful and surreal send-up of the fairy and folk tales we all know so well
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A Nice Cup of Tea, by Bernard Crowley from 2022-10-16T08:50
The conflicting emotions that arise from a family member's death from a drug overdose
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Fishing for Pike, by Antoinette McCarthy from 2022-10-13T10:18
A coming-of-age tale of a mother/daughter relationship, this is a story that grew out of the writer's experiences working with young people during the pandemic. She says "in a world of constantly e...
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Fire Starter, by Alan McCormick from 2022-10-12T10:20
In this story, a young man thinks he is Christ, a character ready to disrupt a familiar time and place
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Scrappage, by Aingeala Flannery from 2022-10-11T11:44
In a story about memory and loss, the narrator clears out her dead parents' house and when the job is done she comes across a fixture in the house that hides a family secret she cannot cast off. (...
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The Shape on the Strand by Katherine Duffy read by Jane Brennan from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.682610
“A clever, delightful story with a rare mix of playful humour and deadly seriousness,” is how this year’s competition judges described The Shape on the Strand by Katherine Duffy, a ghost story conc...
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Hands, A Downpour by Aengus Murray, read by Liam Carney from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.678427
One of 10 shortlisted stories from this year's RTÉ Short Story Competition Hands; A Downpour by Aengus Murray, is read by Liam Carney. Taking the form of a single continuous sentence, it was inspir...
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Neadú by Ceri Garfield, read by Bríd Ní Neachtain from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.672871
Neadú, by Ceri Garfield, is one of the first Irish language entries to make it to the shortlist of the RTÉ Short Story Competition in a few years. Described by the judges as “beautiful and tender”,...
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The Brow of the Hill by Edel Moloney, read by Derbhle Crotty from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.668049
The Brow of the Hill, one of this year's shortlisted of ten, "takes us to a snowy Sunday morning in December 1886 on the feast of St Sabas, a day when death and life intermingle. The setting is mag...
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Everything will be Recorded by Sean Mackel, read by Lalor Roddy from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.647189
One of the 10 Shortlisted Stories from this year's competition, the story moves fluently between past and present as a man and his granddaughter in Inishowen try to rescue an injured bird. Everythi...
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Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Julie Cruikshank, read by Cathy Belton from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.597981
In Beneath the Trees, Where Nobody Sees, by Julie Cruickshank, a woman takes her daughters and nephew on a playdate to a park where there’s a tree the children love. But underneath the surface, som...
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Tactics by Andrew Maguire, read by Ignacy Rybarczyck from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.592555
Tonight’s story from the shortlist of this year's RTÉ Short Story Competition, Tactics, by Andrew Maguire, is “impressive, commanding and intense” in the words of the judges. Unusually – but to gre...
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: People Over There by Doaa Baker from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.561209
People Over There - the story of Sura, a young Iraqi woman who grew up in Ireland, experiences culture clash as she visits her cousins in Baghdad for the first time - was written by Doaa Baker and...
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Muddlers by Gráinne O'Hare from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.556210
Muddlers - the story of two young Belfast women’s friendship forged by, among other things, a mutual obsession with Henry Joy McCracken, Wolfe Tone, and more figures from Irish history - was writt...
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: A Hurt Like That by Paul Boyle from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.551698
A Hurt Like That - the story of a woman who has fallen off a ladder as she contemplates life, death and marriage and the delicious feeling of being on the brink between existence and non-existence...
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Pines by Paul Lenehan from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.499789
The Pines - a suburban couple wage covert war on their neighbor who persists in occupying his (false) balcony looking down on their garden - was written by Paul Lenehan and is read by Norma Sheahan?.
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: We Must All Be Kind by Hugo Kelly from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.475166
We Must All Be Kind - an isolated man, still grieving the loss of his parents, ruffles feathers on his work Zoom calls by dressing outlandishly - was written by Hugo Kelly and is read by Ronan Leahy
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Johns by Rachel Walshe from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.472517
The Johns - Jenny, a young woman on the brink of romance with her colleague Emma, sees graffiti about ‘John and Cleo’ which leads her to meditate on grand displays of love and commitment - was writ...
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RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Night Call by Helen O’Neill from 2022-04-21T17:42:01.469350
The Night Call - a doctor and her driver run over and badly injure a dog late on New Year’s Eve and seek help in finding a way to dispatch him mercifully - was written by Helen O'Neill and is read ...
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Joint 2nd Prize in the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Windsea by Donal Minihane from 2021-09-30T12:00
The joint 2nd prizewinner to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Windsea - the monologue of a misjudged teenager as he holds his landlord, who has shot his dog, at gunpoint - was written by Donal...
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Joint 2nd Prize in the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Mamó by Sara Keating from 2021-09-29T12:00
The joint 2nd prizewinner to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: Mamó - the interior monologue of an incapacitated woman enduring a visit from her daughter and grandchildren. - was written by Sar...
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1st Prize in the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Third Day by Kevin Donnellan from 2021-09-28T12:00
The winning entry to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2021: The Third Day - a young GAA player whose team have just won the senior final seeks to prolong the celebrations, long after his teammates h...
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Guinness&Coke by Lochlainn McKenna, read byÉanna Hardwicke from 2020-10-10T12:00
Guinness&Coke by Lochlainn McKenna one of the 10 Shortlisted Stories in this year's competition, tells of father-and-son weekend adventures by car throughout the length and breadth of the country. ...
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Kissing Booth by Alan Walsh from 2020-09-30T12:00
Kissing Booth by Alan Walsh was awarded 2nd prize in this year's competition. Read on air by Bláithín MacGabhann, Kissing Booth is described by the judges as a dark, clever, funny dystopian tale o...
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Flower Wild by Shane Tivenan, read by Ingrid Craigie from 2020-09-29T12:00
The winning entry to the RTÉ Short Story Competition 2020: Flower Wild - the story of the Irish woman, Violet Gibson, who shot Mussolini - was written by Shane Tivenan and is read by Ingrid Craigie
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